RM   LIBRARY 


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SPRING  WILD  FLOWERS 


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at:  «^ 


—I 


Published  by 
FIELD  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

CHICAGO 

1924 


1_22^B"' 


This  is  the  first  of  a  number  of  Field  Museum  leaf- 
lets describing  some  of  the  more  interesting  wild  flowers 
of  the  Chicago  region.  The  second  leaflet  in  this  series 
describes  the  wild  flowers  of  late  spring  and  early 
summer. 

LIST  OF  BOTANICAL  LEAFLETS  ISSUED  TO  DATE 

No.  L  Figs $  .10 

No.  2.  The  Coco  Palm 10 

No.  3.  Wheat 10 

No.  4.  Cacao 10 

No.  5.  A  Fossil  Flower 10 

No.  6.  The  Cannon  Ball  Tree  (in  preparation)    ...        .10 

No.  7.  Spring  Wild  Flowers 25 

No.  8.  Spring  and  Early  Summer  Wild  Flowers      .     .        .25 

No.  9.  Summer  Wild  Flowers 25 

No.  10.  Autumn  Flowers  and  Fruits 25 

D.  C.  DA  VIES 

DIRECTOR 

FIELD  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 
CHICAGO.  U.  S.  A. 


^ 


Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

DEPARTMENT  OF  BOTANY 
Chicago.  1924 

Leaflet  Number  7 


SPRING  WILD  FLOWERS 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit 

Preaches  today, 
Under  the  green  trees 

Just  over  the  way, 
Squirrel  and  song-sparrow, 

High  on  their  perch. 
Hear  the  sweet  lily-bells 

Ringing  to  church. 

Come,    hear   what    his    reverence 

Rises  to  say, 
In  his  low  painted  pulpit, 

This  calm  Sabbath  day. 

— John  Greenleaf  Whittier. 

JACK'S  SERMON 

My  flock  is  dwindling.  Every  spring  my  parish- 
ioners become  fewer. 

We  appear  with  the  birds  and  the  squirrels  to  re- 
joice at  the  going  away  of  the  frost  and  don  our  best 
garments  to  celebrate  the  coming  of  spring.  The  hu- 
mans come  here  to  watch  but  not  satisfied  with  that, 
carry  many  of  us  away.  Unfortunately,  even  those 
kind  folk  who  love  us  best  and  have  no  wish  to  see  us 
disappear,  do  not  always  realize  that  busy  plants  have 
their  work  which  must  be  attended  to. 

Year  by  year  we  have  moved  farther  away  hoping 
to  be  left  in  peace,  but  we  cannot  move  very  fast.  Un- 
less we  are  allowed  to  rear  and  nurture  our  seeds  there 
will  be  no  Easter  service  in  our  woods  next  year. 

Let  us  pray  that  some  of  us  may  be  spared. 

J.  M.  D. 
[1] 


Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 


[2] 


Spring  Wild  Flowers 


JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT 

(AHsaema  triphyllum) 

There  is  no  mistaking  this  famous  "minister  of 
the  woods."  The  green,  more  or  less  purple-veined 
hood-like  structure  may  be  compared  to  a  pulpit  with 
its  somewhat  turned  over  tip  for  a  canopy.  There  are 
usually  two  three-parted  and  prominently  veined 
leaves  which  often  overtop  the  pulpit. 

Jack  is  also  called  Indian  Turnip  because  of  the 
root  which  the  Indians  used  to  some  extent  for  food 
after  removing  the  extremely  acrid  juice  by  cooking. 
In  the  raw  state  the  root  burns  the  mouth  most  dis- 
agreeably. 

The  Skunk  Cabbage,  notorious  because  of  its  un- 
pleasant odor,  is  related  to  Jack-in-the-Pulpit.  It  has 
a  similar  "hood"  or  leaf-like  structure  that  pushes 
itself,  in  very  early  spring,  only  a  short  distance  above 
the  boggy  ground  in  which  it  grows.  The  foetid  odor 
attracts  various  insects  which  often  are  found  en- 
trapped at  the  base  of  the  "hood."  Jack-in-the-Pulpit 
can  easily  be  cultivated  in  moist  shady  places.  Both 
Jack  and  the  Skunk  Cabbage  are  relatives  of  the  Calla 
Lily.     (Arum  Family) 


[3] 


Field  Museum  op  Natural  History 


DOG'S  TOOTH  VIOLET.    ADDER'S  TONGUE 

(Erythronium  species^ 

The  Dog's  Tooth  Violet  may  be  recognized  easily 
by  its  two  smooth  and  shining  flat  leaves  from  between 
which  rises  the  flower  stalk  that  ordinarily  supports 
only  one  blossom.  The  showy  pinkish-white  or  yellow 
flower  is  more  or  less  drooping  but  its  six  parts  are 
spreading  or  curved  backward. 

This  is  a  plant  of  moist  woods  and  thickets  which 
may  be  established  successfully  in  a  partially  shaded 
garden  by  careful  transfer  of  the  deeply  set  bulbs. 
(Lily  Family) 

[4] 


Spring  Wild  Flowers 


WILD  LILY  OF  THE  VALLEY 

(Maianthemum  canadense) 

The  Two-leaved  Solomon's  Seal,  as  this  plant  is 
more  correctly  called,  is  a  low  herb  of  moist  woods 
and  thickets.  Its  two  (1-3)  broad  but  pointed  leaves 
partly  encircle  the  often  zigzag  stem  with  their  heart- 
shaped  bases;  its  small  white  flowers  form  a  rather 
dense  terminal  cluster  or  raceme  about  two  inches 
long,  projecting  a  short  distance  above  the  leaves.  The 
blossoms  neither  droop  nor  have  the  fragrance  of  the 
garden  Lily  of  the  Valley. 

The  related  False  Solomon's  Seal  is  a  much  larger 
plant  with  many  leaves.     (Lily  Family) 

tB] 


Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 


TRILLIUM.     WAKE   ROBIN 

(Trillium  species^ 

The  odd  manner  in  which  the  three  roundish 
leaves  of  this  plant  are  borne  together  at  the  top  of 
the  low  stout  stem  serves  to  identify  it  readily.  The 
large  solitary  flower  grows  just  above  the  foliage;  in 
the  white  Trillium  (pink  in  age)  it  is  on  a  slender 
stalk;  in  the  other  species  the  blossom  is  purple  and 
grows  directly  with  the  leaves. 

Wake  Robins  are  flowers  of  woods  and  thickets 
and,  notwithstanding  their  name,  bloom  rather  late. 
The  deeply  set  bulb-like  roots  may  be  successfully  re- 
moved to  moist  rich  soils  in  the  garden  for  blossoming 
the  next  year  especially  if  this  transplanting  is  done 
in  July  or  August.  By  then  the  plant  has  replenished 
its  reserve  food-supply  in  the  root.     (Lily  Family) 

[6] 


Spring  Wild  Flowers 


Courtesy  Frank  M.  Woodruff,  Curator,  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

ARETHUSA.    DRAGON'S  MOUTH 
(Arethusa  bulbosa) 

The  low,  slender  and  apparently  leafless  stem  of 
this  orchid  supports  a  large,  solitary,  gaping,  rose- 
purple  flower.  The  upper  parts  of  the  blossom  arch 
over  the  broad  lower  white  lip  which  is  more  or  less 
marked  with  purplish  blotches.  After  the  flower  opens, 
one  narrow  leaf  appears  at  the  side  of  the  stem. 

The  Arethusa  grows  in  bogs  or  low  meadows  and 
thickets.  It  is  sometimes  possible  to  cultivate  it  in 
shady  rockeries.     (Orchid  Family) 


[7] 


Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 


YELLOW  MOCCASIN    FLOWER. 


[8] 


Spring  Wild  Flowers 


MOCCASIN  FLOWER.    LADY'S  SLIPPER 
(Cypripedium  species^ 

The  most  prominent  feature  of  these  showy 
flowers  of  late  spring  is  the  inflated  slipper-like  part 
of  the  blossom.  It  is  to  this  that  the  common  names 
refer.    There  are  several  species. 

The  Yellow  Moccasin  Flower  has  three  slender 
upper  parts  which  are  usually  twisted.  They  are 
greenish-yellow,  dotted  and  streaked  with  purple. 
This  species  is  frequently  found  in  rich  woods. 

Another  sort  of  Cypripedium  is  the  Showy  Mocca- 
sin Flower  which  grows  in  swamps  or  wet  mossy 
woods.  It  is  quite  distinct  in  shape  and  color,  the 
"slipper"  being  white  and  crimson  striped;  the  other 
parts  white  and  broad  and  short. 

There  is  also  the  Stemless  Moccasin  Flower  of 
swamp  borders  or  dryish  woods.  The  stalk  that  bears 
the  solitary  drooping  blossom  has  no  leaves.  The 
"slipper"  of  this  fragrant  flower  is  crimson-pink  or 
I  rarely  white ;  the  other  three  parts  are  a  dull  greenish- 

purple  color.     (Orchid  Family) 

"Ten  thousand  may  look  at  a  Lady's  Slipper", — 
how  many  may  pick  it? 

[9] 


10 


Field  Museum  op  Natural  History 


ASARABACCA.     WILD  GINGER 
(Asarum  canadense) 

It  is  the  foliage  of  this  plant  as  it  occurs  in  patches 
in  rich  woods  that  is  admired  rather  than  the  rela- 
tively inconspicuous  flowers.  The  large,  softly  hairy, 
kidney-shaped  leaves  arise  in  pairs  from  creeping 
roots  that  have  a  ginger  flavor. 

Near  the  ground,  at  the  base  of  each  pair  of 
leaves,  is  a  solitary  blossom.  This  is  bell-shaped  and 
consists  of  three  parts  more  or  less  sharply  pointed  and 
chocolate-brown  or  purplish  within.    (Birthroot  Fam.) 

[10] 


Spring  Wild  Flowers 


11 


SPRING  BEAUTY 

(Claytonia  virginica) 

The  plants  of  the  Spring  Beauty  are  inclined  to 
grow  together  in  groups,  so  as  to  form  "carpets"  in 
meadows  or  open  moist  woods.  They  are  slender  suc- 
culent herbs,  6-12  inches  high,  and  are  usually  un- 
branched.  The  stems  rise  from  a  small  deeply  set 
tuber  (bulb)  and  at  about  their  middle  bear  two  rather 
narrow  opposite  leaves. 

The  flowers,  which  may  number  as  many  as  fif- 
teen, are  borne  in  an  open,  gradually  lengthening, 
cluster  and  are  white  or  pink  with  darker  pink  veins. 
(Purslane  Family) 

[11] 


12 


Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 


RUE  ANEMONE 
(Anemonella  thalictroides) 

The  slender  4-10  inch  high  stem  of  the  Rue 
Anemone  arises  from  a  cluster  of  thickened  roots  and 
bears  at  its  summit,  in  a  loose  arrangement,  the  white 
flowers,  which  are  i^-l  inch  broad.  Just  beneath  the 
flowers  there  are  several  more  or  less  egg-shaped  little 
leaves  which  are  borne  on  weak  stalks. 

This  dainty  perennial  is  a  native  of  woods.  It  is 
cultivated  to  some  extent,  forming  "carpets  of  great 
beauty"  when  the  plants  are  left  undisturbed  for  a 
period  of  years. 

The  Wood  Anemone  is  a  related  wild  flower  that 
resembles  this  plant  but  its  blossoms  are  solitary  and 
the  leaves  of  the  stem  are  3-5  parted.  (Crowfoot 
Family) 

[  12  ] 


Spring  Wild  Flowers 


18 


HEPATICA 
(Hepatica  triloba) 

A  low  stemless  perennial  of  the  woodlands,  the 
Hepatica  shares  with  the  Mayflower  the  honors  for 
earliest  flowering.  Its  leathery  heart-shaped  leaves 
with  three  roundish  lobes  lie  flat  on  the  ground  and  re- 
main green  during  the  winter.  The  new  leaves,  that 
are  to  serve  the  plant  for  another  year,  appear  later 
than  the  flowers,  which  are  borne  singly  on  slender 
silky-hairy  stalks,  2-5  inches  long.  The  flowers,  which 
are  about  V2  inch  across,  vary  in  color  from  white  or 
pinkish  to  pale  blue  or  deep  violet.  They  droop  and 
close  at  night. 

The  Hepatica  is  cultivated  successfully  when  it  is 
left  undisturbed  from  year  to  year  in  rich,  well-drained 
loam  and  mulched  only  with  well-rotted  leaf-mold. 
(Crowfoot  Family) 

[M] 


14 


Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 


MARSH  MARIGOLD 
(Caltha  palustris) 

The  flowers  of  the  Marsh  Marigold  form  brilliant 
patches  of  yellow  color  in  sunny  swamps  or  wet 
meadows.  It  is  a  rather  low,  very  smooth  plant  with 
hollow  stems  and  round  or  kidney-shaped  leaves.  The 
blossoms,  which  are  like  immense  buttercups,  are  an 
inch  or  more  broad.  Sometimes  this  plant  is  incor- 
rectly called  "Cowslips,"  especially  when  gathered  be- 
fore flowering  for  a  pot-herb. 

The  Buttercup,  of  which  there  are  several  kinds, 
is  a  relative  of  the  Marsh  Marigold,  but  the  yellow 
blossoms  are  much  smaller.     (Crowfoot  Family) 

[14] 


Spring  Wild  Flowers 


15 


COLUMBINE 

(Aquilegia  canadensis) 

Our  red  and  yellow  Columbine,  sometimes  wrongly 
called  "Honeysuckle,"  has  the  same  five  peculiar  spurs 
that  distinguish  the  well-known,  variously  colored  gar- 
den Columbine  which  is  a  native  of  Europe.  Colorado 
has  designated  her  wild  blue  and  white  species  as  the 
state  flower. 

The  blossoms  are  inverted  so  that  the  spurs  point 
upward.  The  nectar  secreted  in  their  tips  is  thereby 
protected  from  the  rain.  Often  a  bumble  bee  may  be 
seen  crowding  his  way  into  the  opening  of  the  spur 
to  obtain  the  nectar  by  reaching  it  with  his  long 
tongue;  or  humming  birds  may  be  observed  inserting 
their  beaks  for  the  same  purpose. 

The  Columbine  flowers  should  be  picked  with  re- 
straint. As  the  plant  often  grows  in  shallow  soils  on 
wooded  rock-outcrops,  where  it  is  readily  uprooted, 
its  perpetuation  is  dependent  upon  its  maturing  seeds. 
(Crowfoot  Family) 

[16] 


16  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 


DUTCHMAN'S   BREECHES 

(Dicentra  Cucullaria) 

The  name  of  this  delicate  plant  of  rich  woods  was 
suggested  by  the  odd  shape  of  its  flowers.  The  two 
divergent  and  slightly  inflated  spurs  of  the  drooping 
yellow-tipped  blossoms  are  white  and  point  upward. 
The  "breeches,"  therefore,  are  inverted. 

The  few  to  several  flowers  are  arranged  in  a  row 
along  the  upper  part  of  the  slender  stem  which  rises 
only  a  few  inches  above  the  leaves.  These  are  finely 
divided  into  many  parts  and  are  closely  clustered  about 
the  bases  of  the  flower-stalks. 

The  root  of  the  Dutchman's  Breeches  consists  of 
a  scaly  bulb  or  a  number  of  grain-like  bulbs.  If  their 
natural  woodland  habitat  is  reproduced  as  regards 
shade  and  soil  they  will  grow  and  blossom  from  year 
to  year  in  cultivation.  The  admired  Bleeding  Heart  of 
gardens  is  a  relative  of  our  wild  plant.  (Fumitory 
Family) 


[16] 


Spring  Wild  Flowers 


17 


[17] 


18 


Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 


MAY  APPLE.     MANDRAKE 

(Podophyllum  peltatum) 

This  plant  has  two  kinds  of  stems ;  one  is  flower- 
less  and  bears  at  its  summit  a  round,  7-9-lobed  or 
-parted  leaf,  so  that  it  suggests  an  umbrella ;  the  other 
stem  usually  has  two  one-sided  and  parted  leaves  from 
the  fork  of  which  is  borne  the  solitary  white  flower. 
The  drooping  blossom  is  about  2  inches  broad.  The 
umbrella-like  leaves,  which  may  measure  a  foot  in 
diameter,  are  more  conspicuous,  however,  than  the 
flowers. 

The  May  Apple  usually  grows  in  wet  rich  woods 
in  patches  of  considerable  extent.  The  large  fleshy 
fruit  ripens  in  July  and  children  enjoy  its  sweet  but 
slightly  acid  flavor  that  many  older  folk  consider  dis- 
agreeable.    (Barberry  Family) 


[18] 


-i    a; 


Spring  Wild  Flowers 


19 


BLOODROOT 

(Sanguinaria  canadensis) 

It  is  easy  to  recognize  the  common  Bloodroot,  one 
of  the  earliest  flowers  in  open  rich  woods.  The  bud, 
as  it  rises  from  the  ground  is  enfolded  by  the  single 
pale-green  young  leaf.  As  the  large  white  flower  ex- 
pands and  opens  the  lobed  leaf  may  still  partially  en- 
close the  stalk. 

The  plants  have  prostrate  or  creeping  roots  that 
exude,  when  broken,  a  milky  orange-red  juice, — whence 
the  common  name.  This  sap  has  been  used  as  a  dye, 
especially  by  the  Indians,  who  employed  it  also  as  a 
body-paint.     (Poppy  Family) 

[19] 


20 


Field  Museum  op  Natural  History 


TOOTHWORT.    PEPPER-ROOT 

(Dentaria  species^ 

This  low  perennial  herb  of  moist  woods  may  be 
known  by  its  rather  compact  often  drooping  cluster  of 
small  white  or  pink  flowers  borne  a  short  distance 
above  the  stem  leaves. 

There  are  several  kinds  of  Pepper-roots.  The  Cut- 
leaved  sort  has  three  stem-leaves  which  are  divided 
into  five  parts,  usually  strongly  toothed  along  the  edges. 
The  creeping  roots  of  this  species  bear  bulb-like  thick- 
enings at  intervals.  The  leaves  of  the  Two-leaved  kind 
have  only  three  parts  and  the  slender  roots  are  without 
tuberous  swellings.  The  latter  are  crisp  and  suggest 
in  taste  the  related  Water  Cress.     (Mustard  Family) 

[20] 


Spring  Wild  Flowers 


21 


BITTER  CRESS.    SPRING  CRESS 
(Cardamine  Douglasii) 

This  Cress  of  rich  low  woods  has  a  slender  up- 
right leafy  stem  bearing  at  its  summit  several  rather 
showy  and  crowded  rose-purple  or  white  flowers.  The 
leaves  are  usually  egg-shaped  and  are  placed  at  more 
or  less  irregular  intervals  along  the  stalk  which  varies 
from  six  inches  to  a  foot  high  or  more. 

Sometimes  this  plant  is  called  Cuckoo  Flower. 
This  name  is  more  properly  applied  to  another  kind  of 
Cress  similar  to  the  Bitter  Cress  but  with  leaves 
divided  into  several  very  slender  parts.  The  Cuckoo 
Flower  grows  in  wet  places  or  bogs.  (Mustard  Fam- 
ily) 

[21] 


22 


Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 


JUNE  BERRY.     SHAD  BUSH 
(Amelanchier  canadensis) 

This  shrub  or  small  tree  of  more  or  less  open  and 
usually  dry  lands  is  covered  before  the  leaves  are 
grown,  with  drooping  racemes  (i.e.,  sort  of  elongated 
clusters)  of  white  somewhat  pink-edged  flowers.  The 
long  (I/2-I  ii^-)  narrow  petals  readily  distinguish  the 
June,  or  Service  Berry  as  it  is  also  known,  from  other 
flowering  shrubs.  Usually  its  red-black  or  purplish 
fruits  are  ripe  by  June.  It  is  said  that  pemmican  of 
the  Indians  was  made  of  dried  powdered  buffalo  or 
deer  meat  mixed  with  the  similarly  prepared  June- 
or  blue-berries.  The  mixture  was  stirred  into  boiling 
fat  and  upon  cooling  was  moulded  into  cakes, 

June  Berry  wood,  known  as  "lance  wood,"  is  very 
hard  and  is  used  considerably  for  tool  and  umbrella 
handles.     (Rose  Family) 

[22] 


Spring  Wild  Flowers 


28 


WILD  GERANIUM.    CRANE'S  BILL 
(Geranium  maculatum) 

The  wild  Geranium  is  a  rather  frequent  perennial 
in  more  or  less  open  woods  or  fields.  Its  five  pink-lav- 
ender petals  are  V2-%  ii^ch  long;  its  leaves  usually 
have  five  wedge-shaped  divisions  that  are  more  or  less 
cut  or  lobed  at  their  ends.  The  beak-like  seed-pods, 
which  resemble  those  of  the  cultivated  Geranium,  per- 
haps suggested  one  of  its  names.  When  the  pods  are 
dry  they  spring  open  with  such  force  that  the  ripe 
seeds  are  thrown  some  distance. 

According  to  an  Arab  legend  the  Geranium  orig- 
inally was  a  Mallow.  Then  once  upon  a  time  Moham- 
med, after  washing  his  shirt,  laid  it  upon  the  Mallow 
to  dry.  The  plant  felt  this  distinction  so  deeply  that 
it  blushed  and  turned  into  a  Geranium!  (Geranium 
Family) 

[23] 


24 


Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 


YELLOW  VIOLET. 

VIOLET 

(Viola  species^ 

It  is  interesting  to  see  how  many  kinds  of  violets 
can  be  found  and  named  during  a  season.  There  are 
many  species  that  ordinarily  escape  notice. 


[24] 


Spring  Wild  Flowers 


25 


BLUE   MARSH  VIOLET. 

Probably  the  most  common  in  early  spring  are 
the  Blue  Marsh  Violet,  the  Blue  Wooly  Violet  and  a 
Yellow  Violet.  The  first,  as  its  name  indicates,  grows 
in  wet  places.  It  is  smooth  and  its  leaves  are  finely 
scalloped  along  the  edges.  The  Wooly  Violet  also  has 
blue  flowers  but  the  leaves  are  covered  on  the  under 
surface  with  fine  hairs.  The  yellow-flowered  kind 
grows  in  dry  rich  woods  and  is  a  stemmed  violet ;  that 
is,  some  of  the  leaves  and  flowers  are  borne  on  a  stem 
instead  of  directly  at  the  ground  as  in  most  violets. 

The  violet  is  the  state  flower  of  Illinois,  also  Wis- 
consin and  Rhode  Island.     (Violet  Family) 


[26] 


26 


Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 


TRAILING   ARBUTUS.     MAYFLOWER 

(Epigaea  repens) 

This  is  a  small  woody  plant  that  is  found  trail- 
ing and  often  half-concealed  among  drifted  dead  leaves 
on  sandy  or  rocky  slopes.  Usually  it  is  most  plentiful 
at  the  edge  of  woods.  Its  name  has  become  well- 
known  by  repeated  reference  in  literature  to  the  very 
early  appearance  and  charm  of  the  spicily  fragrant 
and  pink-tinted  flowers.  These  are  in  clusters  at  the 
base  of  each  evergreen  leaf. 

The  popularity  of  the  Trailing  Arbutus  has  re- 
sulted in  its  practical  extinction  near  many  large  cit- 
ies. The  gathering  of  the  wild  plants  for  sale  is 
entirely  unnecessary  since  they  can  be  cultivated  by 
florists.     (Heath  Family) 

[26] 


Spring  Wild  Flowers 


27 


SHOOTING  STAR 

(Dodecatheon  Meadi) 

The  Shooting  Star,  or  American  Cowslip,  as  it 
is  sometimes  called,  is  a  smooth  perennial  herb  con- 
sisting of  a  basal  tuft  of  rather  narrow  leaves,  and 
a  single  leafless  stalk  at  the  top  of  which  is  a  cluster 
of  showy  pink-purple  or  white  flowers.  The  individual 
blossoms  on  slender  stems  have  five  recurved  parts  and 
the  stamens  are  joined  into  a  cone-like  tip  which  gives 
the  flowers  a  distinctly  pointed  appearance.  The 
name.  Shooting  Star,  therefore,  is  apt.  The  flower- 
form  suggests  a  diminutive  Cyclamen,  the  well-known 
hot-house  pot-plant  to  which,  indeed,  our  plant  is  re- 
lated.    (Primrose  Family) 

[27] 


28 


Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 


Courtesy  Frank  M.  Woodruff,  Curator,  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

BUCKBEAN.     MARSH  TREFOIL 

(Menyanthes  trifoliata) 

A  shallow  shore  or  bog  is  the  home  of  this  peren- 
nial herb,  which  has  pinkish,  shaggy  flowers  and  large 
clover-like  leaves.  The  three  leaflets  are  longer  in 
proportion  to  their  width  than  those  of  the  clover. 

The  flower-stalk  rises  well  above  the  foliage  and 
toward  its  summit  produces  the  several  white  or  red- 
dish flowers  in  a  rather  loose  cluster. 

The  leaves  of  this  plant  are  said  to  be  used  in 
Germany  as  a  substitute  for  hops  in  beer-making.  Its 
distribution  is  world-wide  in  temperate  regions. 
(Gentian  Family) 

[28] 


Spring  Wild  Flowers 


29 


BLUE  PHLOX.     WILD  SWEET  WILLIAM 
(Phlox  divaricata) 

Nearly  everyone  knows  the  hardy  perennial 
Phlox  used  by  the  gardener  for  handsome  borders  in 
the  late  summer  or  fall.  The  wild  blue  Phlox  that  in 
the  spring  forms  colorful  patches  in  our  moist  rocky 
woods  and  elsewhere  is  related  to  these  garden 
phloxes  and  has  much  the  same  sort  of  flower.  This 
is  a  very  slender  tube  with  five  spreading  lobes  at  the 
opening.    The  color  is  bluish  or  a  pale  lilac. 

The  plant  may  be  further  identified  by  its  lance- 
shaped  leaves,  borne  in  pairs,  that  is,  one  placed  oppo- 
site another  on  the  laxly  growing  (rarely  erect)  stems. 

The  Ground  or  Moss  Pink  is  another  sort  of  Phlox 
that  forms  mats  of  considerable  extent  in  sandy  fields. 
Its  numerous  flowers  are  pink  or  purplish  with  a 
darker  eye.     (Phlox  Family) 

[29] 


30 


Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 


GREEK  VALERIAN.    POLEMONIUM 

(Polemonium  reptans) 

Often  the  name  "Blue-bell"  is  given  to  this  weak- 
stemmed  and  spreading  perennial  of  open  woods  be- 
cause of  the  drooping  and  bell-shaped  blue  flowers. 

The  Greek  Valerian  is  a  leafy  plant,  usually  about 
a  foot  high,  but  sprawling  in  its  habit  of  growth.  The 
small  parts  of  the  much-divided  leaves  are  arranged 
in  rows  along  a  common  stalk  so  that  the  leaf-form 
is  suggestive  of  a  ladder.  Indeed,  a  related  garden 
plant  is  called  Jacob's  Ladder  because  of  the  similar 
arrangement  of  its  leaves.  A  number  of  other  kinds 
of  Polemoniums  are  cultivated.     (Phlox  Family) 

[30] 


Spring  Wild  Flowers 


81 


Courtesy  FVank  M.  Woodruff,  Curator,  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences, 

VIRGINIA  COWSLIP.    BLUEBELL 

(Mertensia  virginica) 

This  rather  tall  (1-2  ft.)  very  smooth  plant  with 
pale  green  leaves  and  porcelain-blue  flowers  usually 
grows  in  river- woodlands  where  it  sometimes  occurs 
in  patches  of  considerable  extent.  The  more  or  less 
drooping  flowers,  borne  near  the  tops  of  the  stems, 
are  slender  tubes,  flaring  cup-like  at  the  open  end. 
Before  they  are  fully  open  they  are  more  or  less  pink- 
ish. 

The  Forget-me-not  is  a  relative  of  this  plant. 
(Borage  Family) 


[31] 


32  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 


This  is  the  first  of  a  number  of  Field  Museum 
leaflets  dealing  in  a  simple  manner  with  some  common 
or  conspicuous  flowers  of  the  Chicago  region.  With  a 
single  exception  woody  plants  have  not  been  included. 

J.  Francis  Macbride. 


The  photographs,  unless  otherwise  credited,  are  by  L.  W. 
Brownell  with  the  exception  of  Phlox  and  Polemonium  by  C.  F. 
Millspaugh,  Jack-in-the-Pulpit  and  Trillium  by  J.  R,  Millar,  Den- 
taria  and  Dog's  Tooth  Violet  by  H.  H.  Smith. 


[32] 


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